Austria: Several people hospitalised after using fake versions of diabetes drug

Several people in Austria were hospitalised after they used suspected fake versions of Novo Nordisk's diabetes drug Ozempic, the news agency reported on Tuesday (Oct 24) citing the country's health safety regulator BASG. On Monday, the BASG said that patients were reported to have suffered hypoglycaemia, seizures, and other serious side effects. 

This indicated the product contained insulin instead of Ozempic's active ingredient semaglutide, the BASG added. The regulator did not mention how many people were hospitalised.

An investigation has been launched with the criminal investigation service warning that fake injection pens might still be in circulation. Last week, the European Medicines Agency warned about the existence of such pens falsely labelled as Ozempic.

Novo Nordisk, which manufactures the drug, flagged a surge in online offers of counterfeit Ozempic as well as its weight-loss drug Wegovy, both based on semaglutide. Reuters reported on Tuesday that Novo Nordisk has been scrambling to boost output to catch up with overwhelming demand. 

"It appears that this shortage is being exploited by criminal organisations to bring counterfeits of Ozempic to market," BASG further said. 

According to Novo Nordisk's website, Ozempic is used to improve blood sugar (glucose) in adults with type 2 diabetes. The drug also reduces the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death in adults with type 2 diabetes with known heart disease.

However, Ozempic is not for use in people with type 1 diabetes. It is also not yet known if the drug is safe and effective for use in children under 18 years of age. Some of the serious side effects of the drug include inflammation of the pancreas, changes in vision and low blood sugar.

Reuters reported on Tuesday that EMA authorities in Germany and Britain have been investigating a case where bogus injection pens with German labels in genuine Ozempic packaging were sold from a wholesaler in Austria to Germany, and from there, on to two British wholesalers.

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